Lately, it's occurred to me that there may be yet another reason why the Original Star Wars trilogy seems to have greater resonance with more people than the Prequel Trilogy. Putting aside the issue of the respective qualities and virtues of each trilogy and the question of which one is better (which is ultimately a subjective point), I think that basically it comes down to an issue of...well...for lack of a better word, class.

If you look at the PT, it's largely set within the Galactic Republic and a fair amount of the action takes place on the capital planet of Coruscant, and deals with the Jedi Republic and the Senate and the power elite. Much of the dialogue between the characters has a rather measured and formal quality to it, befitting the social milieu in which the PT story is set.

On the other hand, if you look at the OT, it deals with a more down-on-the-ground, more working-class reality. It is the story of the Rebel Alliance and their fight against the Galactic Empire - which of course used to be the Galactic Republic - and consequently deals with more or less ordinary people. And even though many of the key players within the Rebel Alliance - Leia Organa, her foster father Bail Organa and of course Mon Mothma - were all former members of the Senate, much of the main characters' dialogue is more open and direct and there's a bit less of the stuffiness we saw on Coruscant.

Nowadays, I'm more inclined to put Attack Of The Clones or Revenge Of The Sith into my DVD player than A New Hope or The Empire Strikes Back, since the films of the OT have become perhaps a bit overly familiar to me and the prequels still have a freshness and newness about them. Nevertheless, I will quite readily acknowledge that the OT's continued resonance with audiences has much to do with its relative working-class reality, while the PT's social milieu is perhaps a bit stuffy and off-putting to some people.

Whilst it's true that the PT is largely a story about various elites trying to outdo each other and the OT has a strong feeling of the underdog taking on the machine, I don't think that's the main reason why the OT has more long term resonance.

Whilst it's true that the PT is largely a story about various elites trying to outdo each other and the OT has a strong feeling of the underdog taking on the machine, I don't think that's the main reason why the OT has more long term resonance.

I'm not claiming that it's the main reason, I'm just saying that it's one factor.

You may have a point, but in a fantasy it shouldn't really matter. I mean, am I less likely to identify with the cold, aristocratic Senator Amidala or the more down-to-earth farmboy Luke Skywalker who flies awesome spaceships and has magical powers? They're both way outside of my reality before even considering implications of "class."

They're all outside our reality, but a lot of people enjoy rooting for the underdog in any situation or context. In the PT, there really isn't an underdog to root for. I think that's what the original poster's getting at. Correct me if I'm wrong.

I think the reason is more at the surface. The OT dealt with a very real danger, the established Empire and their Death Star. The PT deals with the crumbling of the Senate and formation of the Empire. The sense of danger to the underdogs just isn't there for me. Anakin is the only character who really loses out. There are lots of little personal battles, such as Obi-Wan and Grievous, Anakin and Dooku, etc., but the danger to ALL isn't really focused on.